MESSAGE FROM THE 7TH MANSAG PRESIDENT
27th OCTOBER 2018
Fellow MANSAG members,
Thank you for electing me as your 7th MANSAG President at the annual scientific meeting in Manchester in October 2018. The handover ceremony, having taken place in the city of my beloved football club, (the Red Devils with the noisy neighbour), made it a very pleasant experience. I am lucky and privileged to be supported by young, vibrant and enthusiastic 7 other members in my executive. Number 7 has been significant since ancient times with significant role in society, culture, religion and even psychology. Watch this new MANSAG executive closely.
I wish to use this opportunity to thank the outgoing executive for the smoothtransition and for the excellent job they did for MANSAG over the last 3 years despite several challenges. I pray and hope that we may build on this success over the next triennium. The next three years will be crucial in the further development of our organisation.
With Brexit in sight, many healthcare professionals outside the UK aspire to come to the UK. Informed by this and supported by the recent decision by the GMC to increase the number of candidates and centres for PLAB examination, we aim to embark on a massive recruitment drive of new members. We will also be activating some existing chapters and create new ones. However, we need to convince more colleagues in the medical and other healthcare professions such as in nursing, radiology and pharmacy etc., of the relevance of MANSAG to their professional and social needs.
I would like to take this opportunity to share the vision of my executive for the short to long term priorities for the upcoming years.
CALENDARING MANSAG ANNUAL EVENTS AND MEMBERSHIP
We have identified that our members want to have plenty of advance notice to facilitate attendance of MANSAG activities. For this reason, my executive has agreed to ‘calendar all future annual MANSAG events. The dates for main MANSAG annual events in the triennium are shown below:
DATES FOR MANSAG ANNUAL EVENTS 2018-2021
EDUCATIONAL SYMPOSIUM/CHARITY BALL
2019 SHEFFIELD 18TH MAY
2020 VENUE TBC 16TH MAY
2021 VENUE TBC 15TH MAY
ANNUAL SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE
LONDON 25-27TH OCT 2019
VENUE TBC 23-25TH OCT 2020
VENUE TBC 22-24TH OCT 2021
Let us make a special effort to attend MANSAG events. It is easier for us to work together if we know each other well and work as a team. This is why the executive’s inaugural meeting was a weekend retreat in Birmingham Hilton Hotel before the handover ceremony to get to know one another at no cost to MANSAG.
We cannot succeed without the support of every member and let us be MANSAG ambassadors and help with recruitment of new members. We should support MANSAG financially over and above our annual dues by making a donation to support our cause, making a sacrifice of your time and talent. Let us support other Nigerians and MANSAG members in our locality through regular social meetings. I commend those of you who have already been doing this for years.
MANSAG MEDICAL MISSION
In the past, MANSAG has conducted many valuable medical missions to Nigeria which were short-term ranging from two to four weeks. They were mainly on medical education and capacity development (information, skills and expertise) and the projects were funded in part or totally from the membership fee.
The challenge of the current arrangement is that the mission changes every year or with a change of executive, the project has been patchy, disconnected year in year out and consequently, it has produced little impact in the main. The income of MANSAG is reliant on membership dues with little or no external funding to support this important activity. We have set up a triple M thinktank (M3Thinktank) group of 6 members many of whom have contributed to MANSAG medical missions in the past. The chair of the group is Professor Dilly Anumba who is one of the past presidents. We have asked them to think outside the box and be futuristic in their approach in advancing a new strategy on a mission to Nigeria moving forward. They are due to submit their report to the executive within 6 months. The terms of reference for the M3Thinktank are:
- To examine the current and recent MANSAG medical and health missions to Nigeria in relation to structure, quality of project, funding and sustainability.
- To develop and advice the MANSAG Executive Committee regarding a financially viable, high quality and sustainable strategy for medical and health engagement with Nigeria in the short, medium and long-term.
- In specific terms, to consider a long-term project which can attract international funding and also a joint venture with sister organizations who may provide critical mass and multi-professional working to maximize measurable impact in Nigeria.
- Consider the practicalities of establishing a MANSAG Innovation Centre in Nigeria – a dedicated physical innovation centre that focusses on generating impactful new ideas in Medicine, Biomedical Engineering etc. To advise on the feasibility of the Centre focusing on high impact, strategic opportunities to produce local medical equipment, infrastructures etc. The centre should be big enough to attract international funding.
- To define criteria and terms of engagement and collaboration betwee MANSAG and other professional charities requesting joint working on specific projects in Nigeria.
- To consider and advise the Executive Committee on any other matters which the Committee opines can assist MANSAG to develop a robust medical and health engagement agenda in Nigeria.
I would like to thank all the members that have sent M3Thinktank helpful suggestions as they compile their final report. I appreciate that views may be different but we welcome divergent opinions as this will enrich an academic discussion. If you are planning to contribute to the discussion but have not done so, you can submit your views to the chair on info@mansag.org.
WEBSITE
We employed an independent website tester to critically examine the state of our website because of the level of complaints received from members. The report was damning especially the information flow. We have started to implement changes on the website and adopting a new dynamic user-friendly and IOS and Android compatible website with different functionalities. To take this further, we have set up a METhinktank group of 4 members who are technologically savvy.
The main aim of METhinktank is to examine the current state of MANSAG EProgramme, including our website (platform, contents and navigability), the introduction of membership number, monitoring and supervision of membership fee and other electronic interactive services. The terms of reference are:
- To advise on improving MANSAG website experience (announcement of events, video displays, paying platforms such as PayPal versus Eventbrite).
- To explore our Social media interaction including Social networking (Facebook, LinkedIn, Google+), Microblogging (Twitter, Tumbril), Photo sharing (Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest), Video sharing (YouTube, Facebook Live, Vimeo) and e-learning platform which can be accessed by medical schools abroad.
- To advise on modus operandi on the issuance of membership number and identity card.
This is a one-off MANSAG Advisory Project with the expectation of a full report within 6 months. The chair of the group was Professor T.C Harry.
We realized shortly after the formation of METhinktank that there is a logistic problem. The internet and telephone access for the chairman was very poor as the chair has relocated to Nigeria. On account of this, I have taken up this challenge with the support of Dr Funmi Adewara, Dr Chris Osuafor and Dr Harold Horsfall. I am very grateful for their commitment and service to MANSAG and this should not go unnoticed. Dr Chris Osuafor will take over the supervision of the website after the initial revision and migration.
VIRTUAL ADDRESS
MANSAG
registered address changes very frequently as the secretary address changes. We have embarked on establishing a permanent registered address for MANSAG which is unlikely to change for a foreseeable future. This process was completed in December and the new address is:
MANSAG SECRETARIAT
Kemp House
152-160 City Road
London
EC1V 2NX
UK
MANSAG WELFARE AND SOCIAL CHARTER
As stated in our Charter, MANSAG is committed to supporting all its members in whatever circumstances they may find themselves. This commitment could take the form of assisting with identification of development needs, provision of informal mentoring, supporting members through personal family tragedies and professional difficulties etc.
MANSAG will maintain confidentiality as appropriate and will use its collective strength to work in partnership with other relevant professional bodies, associations and unions to promote the needs and effective delivery of such needs of its members. My executive is keen to work with all the members to fulfil this section of our charter. Kindly inform the welfare secretary, Dr Oge Ilozue if you have any knowledge of any colleague/s who might benefit from such support by contacting her on welfare@mansag.org. Remember if we do not know, we cannot provide support.
Finally, thank you MANCHESTER LOC. It is almost three months that we were hosted again by the Manchester local organising committee. It is fair to conclude that the 29th MANSAG Annual Scientific Conference in Manchester was a great success! So many people have contributed in so many ways to turn this event into a smoothly run meeting with many very interesting debate and presentations and a very good atmosphere for discussion and networking.
On behalf of the executive of MANSAG, I would like to say to all those who contributed to the conference: Thank you for all your excellent work! I owe much gratitude to the Chairman Dr Ngozi Edi-Osagie and to Dr Anele Ebizie for giving structure to the program and for organizing and attracting all the sponsors of the conference and for supporting the conference in many direct and indirect ways. I also thank all sponsors for their generosity and interest in MANSAG.
It is difficult to find words to describe the fun and fellowship that every attendee of all ages had. How can anyone forget the eye-watering jokes of Baba Willis! Our special thanks also go to our invited guests and invitees from sister organisations in Nigeria (The BMA, MDCN, Federal Ministry of Health, Diaspora Office, Chairman, Committee of Chief Executives of Federal Teaching Hospitals), Europe (BAPIO, Cameroun Doctors UK, NMA Germany), South Africa (Nigeria Doctors Forum) and the USA and Canada (ANPA and CANPAD).
For those who were unable to attend, we want you to know that we miss you loads and we hope you will join us in Sheffield on Saturday 18th May 2019 at the 10th MANSAG Educational Symposium and Charity Ball and the 30th MANSAG Annual Scientific Conference in London on Friday 25th October through to Sunday 27th October 2019. The executive and I look forward to seeing you in Sheffield.
Yours’ in MANSAG
Ibrahim Bolaji
Ibrahim